Heros
Thane Redson Sharpaxe
+ Rune of Gromril
+ Rune of Snorri
+ Rune of Cleaving
Thane Keska Greybeard
+ Battle Standard
+ Rune of Stone
+ Rune of Challenge
Runesmith Krik Smoothstone
Core
19 Warriors
+ shields
+ musician
+ standard bearer
+ champion
19 Warriors
+ shields
+ musician
+ standard bearer
+ champion
10 Quarrellers
10 Thunderers
Special
25 Ironbreakers
+ musician
+ Balrak Deepthrone (champion)
+ standard bearer
20 Slayers
+ musician
+ giantslayer
+ standard bearer
Grudge Thrower
+ Rune of Accuracy
Bolt Thrower
+ engineer
Rare
Organ Gun
Flame Cannon
Total = 2000pts
Monday, 24 August 2009
Battle 2: Caught Red Handed
Smoke rose slowly from the western tower, twisting into spirals which danced in the air before dispersing. Thanes Redson Sharpaxe and Keska Greybeard stood atop the eastern tower, surveying the battlefield. The fight had been extremely short and brutal. The scouts had laid down a curtain of crossbow bolts, sweeping the eastern tower emplacements clear of sentries. Chasing down the hill behind them had come the slayers - eager for battle. Caught completely by surprise, the eastern tower hadn't had time to barricade themselves in before being overwhelmed in a sea of orange hair as the slayers stormed the tower. The western tower had put up a little more of a fight, locking their door and firing back with their primitive handguns. It hadn't lasted long though - Ferdi Rustmane and his miners ran through the inaccurate gunfire and placed blasting charges around the door. The explosion had blown the door off its hinges and demolished part of the wall, allowing the slayers access to the tower where they repeated the chaos of the first.
Now the humans had been wiped out, both towers were in the hands of the dwarves and Runesmith Smoothstone had wasted no time taking the miners down into the tunnels to find the lost forge of his ancestors. Sharpaxe leaned on the battlements and chewed on his pipe, glaring at the smoke coming from the other tower.
"We did the right thing, my lord." Thane Greybeard was looking over the hillside which housed the concealed entrance to the Stonebeard settlement and its precious forge. Sharpaxe grunted. Greybeard took that as affirmation and continued. "The humans out here would not have given up the forge. They would have demanded its riches, insulting us in the process. Then we would have been forced to do battle anyway." Greybeard looked round at his commander. "It saved time this way."
"And what about the reports of an escaping soldier? If he carries word of this day back to the Empire there will be consequences."
"It is many miles to the nearest human town, my lord. Even if he manages to survive the journey who will believe him? And even if they send someone to take a look, we will be long gone before any human troops can come and investigate. The Empire will not discover us."
The sound of metal-clad feet on the stone stairs cut short Sharpaxe's reply. From the stairs came Balrak Deepthrone, commander of the Ironbreaker unit. In his hand he clutched several sheets of paper. "My lords, I apologise for intruding." Sharpaxe waved Balrak up - he liked the younger dwarf - he was intelligent, decent and honourable and had been as unimpressed by this skirmish as Sharpaxe himself.
"I have been going through the papers left by the force commander. It seems a sizeable Empire army is on its way here."
Sharpaxe felt his blood chill. "For what reason?"
"It doesn't say, my lord. These are just orders to the garrison commander to extend every hospitality. It seems they are to stay for a while."
Greybeard took the orders document and quickly scanned it. "This doesn't make sense. There isn't anything out here and certainly not enough room for an army to settle down. What are they after?"
"I don't know, my lord. But the dispatches indicate they are due here today."
Sharpaxe rubbed a tired hand over his eyes. "Damn. And with that soldier's report we are not going to be able to negotiate." He looked out, along the road to the south as if expecting to see the bright plumes of the Empire's banners appearing. "Gather the troops, begin deploying the artillery and bring Runesmith Smoothstone up from below. We will meet them here and see if our ancestors approve of us defending their lands."
Now the humans had been wiped out, both towers were in the hands of the dwarves and Runesmith Smoothstone had wasted no time taking the miners down into the tunnels to find the lost forge of his ancestors. Sharpaxe leaned on the battlements and chewed on his pipe, glaring at the smoke coming from the other tower.
"We did the right thing, my lord." Thane Greybeard was looking over the hillside which housed the concealed entrance to the Stonebeard settlement and its precious forge. Sharpaxe grunted. Greybeard took that as affirmation and continued. "The humans out here would not have given up the forge. They would have demanded its riches, insulting us in the process. Then we would have been forced to do battle anyway." Greybeard looked round at his commander. "It saved time this way."
"And what about the reports of an escaping soldier? If he carries word of this day back to the Empire there will be consequences."
"It is many miles to the nearest human town, my lord. Even if he manages to survive the journey who will believe him? And even if they send someone to take a look, we will be long gone before any human troops can come and investigate. The Empire will not discover us."
The sound of metal-clad feet on the stone stairs cut short Sharpaxe's reply. From the stairs came Balrak Deepthrone, commander of the Ironbreaker unit. In his hand he clutched several sheets of paper. "My lords, I apologise for intruding." Sharpaxe waved Balrak up - he liked the younger dwarf - he was intelligent, decent and honourable and had been as unimpressed by this skirmish as Sharpaxe himself.
"I have been going through the papers left by the force commander. It seems a sizeable Empire army is on its way here."
Sharpaxe felt his blood chill. "For what reason?"
"It doesn't say, my lord. These are just orders to the garrison commander to extend every hospitality. It seems they are to stay for a while."
Greybeard took the orders document and quickly scanned it. "This doesn't make sense. There isn't anything out here and certainly not enough room for an army to settle down. What are they after?"
"I don't know, my lord. But the dispatches indicate they are due here today."
Sharpaxe rubbed a tired hand over his eyes. "Damn. And with that soldier's report we are not going to be able to negotiate." He looked out, along the road to the south as if expecting to see the bright plumes of the Empire's banners appearing. "Gather the troops, begin deploying the artillery and bring Runesmith Smoothstone up from below. We will meet them here and see if our ancestors approve of us defending their lands."
Battle 2: The Ancient Forge
Miles to the east, Thane Redson Sharpaxe and Runesmith Krik Smoothstone were standing on a rise, having an argument. Below them sat Greyfort - an overly grand name for a small human outpost, barely more than a couple of granite towers nestled amongst the foothills. It housed a small garrison of Empire troops - evidenced by the small patrols they could see wandering around the paths leading to and from the fort.
"This changes nothing, Thane. We have our duty!" Runesmith Smoothstone stood immobile, arms folded, whilst Thane Sharpaxe paced back and forth. "You do intend to do your duty to your Hold and King?" Sharpaxe shot him a lethal glare, but remained silent. Smoothstone continued. "You know full well that the remains of a Stonebeard settlement sits under those hills."
"I know that. And I know that on top was supposed to be an Orc encampment!" Thane Sharpaxe stopped pacing and rounded on the Runesmith. "The humans are our allies! We don't just attack our allies! This changes things!"
"This changes nothing. The humans have laid claim to what is not theirs. We are here to take our property back - regardless of the thief." Smoothstone turned to regard the twin towers. "Anyway, I don't know what you are worried about. There cannot be more than two dozen men down there."
"The numbers do not bother me as well you know. I remember the oaths we have sworn to battle alongside the humans, not against them." Sharpaxe stepped in front of Smoothstone, blocking his view of the fort. "Or do THOSE oaths mean nothing to you?"
The Runesmith stared at the Thane until, eventually, Sharpaxe was forced to look away. "Do not push me, Thane. I know full well that the humans are our allies. This is a matter of priorities."
Sharpaxe looked back at that. "What do you mean?"
"The Stonebeard settlement contained the forge of Norik Smoothstone - a very knowledgeable Runelord who lived in these parts centuries ago. We believe there is much rare, perhaps lost, knowledge hidden there."
Thane Sharpaxe considered this new information. He knew that a treasure trove of runic knowledge would take precedence over this small human outpost. He also knew that although technically along to advise and oversea, Krik Smoothstone was older and more powerful than he was. A talented and proven Runesmith, he surely was not far from taking the mantle of Runelord himself - finding a cache of ancient knowledge could well be the last step he needed to make. Smoothstone was quite capable of sending Sharpaxe back with a retinue to collect the reinforcements and then ordering the assault himself and Sharpaxe's absence.
Drifting upwards from below, the sounds of shouting and metal hitting metal snapped Sharpaxe back to reality. Looking down, he saw a group of armoured men dragging a pair of dwarven scouts towards the towers. One was moving as if concussed. The other was clearly dead - his head bent at a strange angle and his left arm missing. As he watched, the bushes came alive as the rest of the scout units rose as one and pelted the men with crossbow bolts. As the soldiers fell and the dwarves recovered their comrades, a shout came from the walls of the tower.
"It seems" said the Runesmith, squinting at the scene down below "that your decision has been made for you."
"This changes nothing, Thane. We have our duty!" Runesmith Smoothstone stood immobile, arms folded, whilst Thane Sharpaxe paced back and forth. "You do intend to do your duty to your Hold and King?" Sharpaxe shot him a lethal glare, but remained silent. Smoothstone continued. "You know full well that the remains of a Stonebeard settlement sits under those hills."
"I know that. And I know that on top was supposed to be an Orc encampment!" Thane Sharpaxe stopped pacing and rounded on the Runesmith. "The humans are our allies! We don't just attack our allies! This changes things!"
"This changes nothing. The humans have laid claim to what is not theirs. We are here to take our property back - regardless of the thief." Smoothstone turned to regard the twin towers. "Anyway, I don't know what you are worried about. There cannot be more than two dozen men down there."
"The numbers do not bother me as well you know. I remember the oaths we have sworn to battle alongside the humans, not against them." Sharpaxe stepped in front of Smoothstone, blocking his view of the fort. "Or do THOSE oaths mean nothing to you?"
The Runesmith stared at the Thane until, eventually, Sharpaxe was forced to look away. "Do not push me, Thane. I know full well that the humans are our allies. This is a matter of priorities."
Sharpaxe looked back at that. "What do you mean?"
"The Stonebeard settlement contained the forge of Norik Smoothstone - a very knowledgeable Runelord who lived in these parts centuries ago. We believe there is much rare, perhaps lost, knowledge hidden there."
Thane Sharpaxe considered this new information. He knew that a treasure trove of runic knowledge would take precedence over this small human outpost. He also knew that although technically along to advise and oversea, Krik Smoothstone was older and more powerful than he was. A talented and proven Runesmith, he surely was not far from taking the mantle of Runelord himself - finding a cache of ancient knowledge could well be the last step he needed to make. Smoothstone was quite capable of sending Sharpaxe back with a retinue to collect the reinforcements and then ordering the assault himself and Sharpaxe's absence.
Drifting upwards from below, the sounds of shouting and metal hitting metal snapped Sharpaxe back to reality. Looking down, he saw a group of armoured men dragging a pair of dwarven scouts towards the towers. One was moving as if concussed. The other was clearly dead - his head bent at a strange angle and his left arm missing. As he watched, the bushes came alive as the rest of the scout units rose as one and pelted the men with crossbow bolts. As the soldiers fell and the dwarves recovered their comrades, a shout came from the walls of the tower.
"It seems" said the Runesmith, squinting at the scene down below "that your decision has been made for you."
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Battle 1: Return to the Camp
As the elves melted back into the forest, Hrunhurer pulled the arrows from his body and crawled slowly back towards the dwarven camp. He dragged with him his family standard, unwilling to leave it behind. He moved slowly, trying to avoid giving himself away to the any elves remaining in the area and eventually came across the site where Thane Danro had been cut down. His body remained - definitely dead. Surprisingly, so did his runic axe. Hrunhurer took this with him - if any of Clan Blackrock had survived the slaughter they would want this returned to them. Of Danro's oath stone he saw no sign. Hrunhurer cursed the elves - they must have stolen the precious item to take back as a trophy.
Slowly; painfully; Hrunhurer dragged himself out of the sacred glade. The elves either remained unaware of his presence or were content to let him live - their bloodlust sated for the day. It took most of the night, but eventually he staggered into the sombre dwarven encampment just beyond the forest boundary. By the small fire he found Thane Alric Blackrock staring into his mug of ale, the other survivors scattered around him mostly asleep.
"Hrunhurer reporting sir."
Alric looked up and Hrunhurer was horrified to see how much he had aged in the previous day. Somehow, seeing the look of defeat in his Thane's eyes was a harder blow than all injuries and death of the day. After a moment, Alric spoke. "You are one of the few fortunate ones. Very few of our brothers have returned from that cursed glade. Tell me - what news?"
Hrunhurer hesitated. He knew his report would do nothing to comfort the shell shocked dwarf but could think of no way to tell it differently. But he had been ordered to report and he always did his duty. "My lord, my unit is lost. Cut down by arrows as we attempted to engage the enemy. I am the last survivor." Hrunhurer's voice choked for a moment as he remembered his brother taking an arrow. "We failed to engage the enemy's missile troops. I am sorry."
"A great many failed today Hrunhurer, you are hardly alone. And my scouts tell me you were responsible for one of the few victories. You defeated that Treesinger in single combat."
Hrunhurer bowed. "Yes, my lord. She killed my brother." The words were out before he realised what he had said. The look of pain on Alric's face shot made guilt shoot through Hrunhurer's heart. "I'm sorry my lord..." his voice trailed away.
Alric turned and gazed into the fire. He was silent for a long moment before he seemed to steel himself. Still looking into the fire, and sounding like the words were being dragged from him, he asked "And is there news of Danro, my brother?"
"I am sorry my lord." Hrunhurer brought out Danro's runic weapon and handed it to Alric who turned it over and over in his gnarled hands. Speaking softly, the Thane murmured a dwarven prayer for the departed before squeezing his eyes tight shut. Another long silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Finally, Alric looked back up at Hrunhurer and was about to speak when a shout came from one of the sentries.
"Movement at the forest's edge! We can see movement!"
Alric swore and dragged himself to his feet. "Seems they aren't content with driving us from the forest. They want to finish the job." Taking his brother's axe he headed for the sentries. Hrunhurer followed. They found the sentries training their crossbows on a nearby copse. "Report." Alric ordered.
"Sir, the elves were in those trees. They didn't make any threatening moves sir. And, um... we are surprised we saw them."
"Unless they wanted to be seen." Alric stroked his beard as he watched the elves moving around. "I'm going to look. Cover me."
As Alric marched determinedly towards the copse, Hrunhurer hurried to catch up. "My lord ... is this wise?"
"The elves didn't come here to attack. They would never have allowed themselves to be seen if they had. Which means they have come to talk, or left something for us to find. Which it is, we shall soon see." The pair reached the copse. Moving slowly and carefully, they pushed through the undergrowth. It seemed the copse was circular with a clear middle and, to Hrunhurer's shock, in the middle were a dozen giant baskets woven from some kind of plant life all covered by white sheets. Cautiously the pair approached the nearest one and lifted the covering. After a long moment, Alric spoke. "It appears they are returning our dead."
The following morning was a mournful affair. The elves had indeed returned the dead dwarves - simultaneously cleansing their sacred glade of the intruders and ensuring the dwarves would not return looking to recover the bodies. The few remaining dwarves silently worked together to dig a huge grave before Alric spoke the last rites. Then there was a long silence as every dwarf thought about what had happened and came to terms with their loss. Finally, Alric turned to face the remains of his Throng. He still looked downcast but his voice was strong and clear. "What has happened here was a disaster. Many lives were lost and we accomplished nothing. However, we are still charged by High King Stonebeard to recover the Hammer of Rotek. We will march around this forest, taking the extra time until we are closer to the place where the Hammer fell. The route will be long, but we will pass through some friendly villages where we can gather more troops. However, we will need to replenish our leadership. Come forward please Hrunhurer."
Hrunhurer blinked in surprise. He hadn't been expecting this. Slowly, he limped forwards and stood before Thane Alric.
"Kneel please." Hrunhurer knelt. "Hrunhurer of Clan Heavypick, on our darkest day you brought down a leader of our enemies and survived against all the odds. You brought yourself back to us though wounded and recovered my brother's axe. You have proven your will and ability to stand at the forefront of your people."
Alric drew Danro's rune axe and touched Hrunhurer on each of his shoulders.
"Arise, Thane Hrunhurer of Clan Heavypick."
Slowly; painfully; Hrunhurer dragged himself out of the sacred glade. The elves either remained unaware of his presence or were content to let him live - their bloodlust sated for the day. It took most of the night, but eventually he staggered into the sombre dwarven encampment just beyond the forest boundary. By the small fire he found Thane Alric Blackrock staring into his mug of ale, the other survivors scattered around him mostly asleep.
"Hrunhurer reporting sir."
Alric looked up and Hrunhurer was horrified to see how much he had aged in the previous day. Somehow, seeing the look of defeat in his Thane's eyes was a harder blow than all injuries and death of the day. After a moment, Alric spoke. "You are one of the few fortunate ones. Very few of our brothers have returned from that cursed glade. Tell me - what news?"
Hrunhurer hesitated. He knew his report would do nothing to comfort the shell shocked dwarf but could think of no way to tell it differently. But he had been ordered to report and he always did his duty. "My lord, my unit is lost. Cut down by arrows as we attempted to engage the enemy. I am the last survivor." Hrunhurer's voice choked for a moment as he remembered his brother taking an arrow. "We failed to engage the enemy's missile troops. I am sorry."
"A great many failed today Hrunhurer, you are hardly alone. And my scouts tell me you were responsible for one of the few victories. You defeated that Treesinger in single combat."
Hrunhurer bowed. "Yes, my lord. She killed my brother." The words were out before he realised what he had said. The look of pain on Alric's face shot made guilt shoot through Hrunhurer's heart. "I'm sorry my lord..." his voice trailed away.
Alric turned and gazed into the fire. He was silent for a long moment before he seemed to steel himself. Still looking into the fire, and sounding like the words were being dragged from him, he asked "And is there news of Danro, my brother?"
"I am sorry my lord." Hrunhurer brought out Danro's runic weapon and handed it to Alric who turned it over and over in his gnarled hands. Speaking softly, the Thane murmured a dwarven prayer for the departed before squeezing his eyes tight shut. Another long silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Finally, Alric looked back up at Hrunhurer and was about to speak when a shout came from one of the sentries.
"Movement at the forest's edge! We can see movement!"
Alric swore and dragged himself to his feet. "Seems they aren't content with driving us from the forest. They want to finish the job." Taking his brother's axe he headed for the sentries. Hrunhurer followed. They found the sentries training their crossbows on a nearby copse. "Report." Alric ordered.
"Sir, the elves were in those trees. They didn't make any threatening moves sir. And, um... we are surprised we saw them."
"Unless they wanted to be seen." Alric stroked his beard as he watched the elves moving around. "I'm going to look. Cover me."
As Alric marched determinedly towards the copse, Hrunhurer hurried to catch up. "My lord ... is this wise?"
"The elves didn't come here to attack. They would never have allowed themselves to be seen if they had. Which means they have come to talk, or left something for us to find. Which it is, we shall soon see." The pair reached the copse. Moving slowly and carefully, they pushed through the undergrowth. It seemed the copse was circular with a clear middle and, to Hrunhurer's shock, in the middle were a dozen giant baskets woven from some kind of plant life all covered by white sheets. Cautiously the pair approached the nearest one and lifted the covering. After a long moment, Alric spoke. "It appears they are returning our dead."
The following morning was a mournful affair. The elves had indeed returned the dead dwarves - simultaneously cleansing their sacred glade of the intruders and ensuring the dwarves would not return looking to recover the bodies. The few remaining dwarves silently worked together to dig a huge grave before Alric spoke the last rites. Then there was a long silence as every dwarf thought about what had happened and came to terms with their loss. Finally, Alric turned to face the remains of his Throng. He still looked downcast but his voice was strong and clear. "What has happened here was a disaster. Many lives were lost and we accomplished nothing. However, we are still charged by High King Stonebeard to recover the Hammer of Rotek. We will march around this forest, taking the extra time until we are closer to the place where the Hammer fell. The route will be long, but we will pass through some friendly villages where we can gather more troops. However, we will need to replenish our leadership. Come forward please Hrunhurer."
Hrunhurer blinked in surprise. He hadn't been expecting this. Slowly, he limped forwards and stood before Thane Alric.
"Kneel please." Hrunhurer knelt. "Hrunhurer of Clan Heavypick, on our darkest day you brought down a leader of our enemies and survived against all the odds. You brought yourself back to us though wounded and recovered my brother's axe. You have proven your will and ability to stand at the forefront of your people."
Alric drew Danro's rune axe and touched Hrunhurer on each of his shoulders.
"Arise, Thane Hrunhurer of Clan Heavypick."
Battle 1: Clash in the Glade
The first rays of the morning sun started the burn the mists from the ground as the dwarves finished heaving their bolt thrower to the top of the hill. Kalik, the engineer in charge of the device, peered out into the glade trying to check his fields of fire. He couldn't see much - the accursed mists hide anything more than a a dozen feet away. Still, he was atop a hill - he should be able to see something when battle was joined. Down below he heard the sounds of the throng gathering into units and forming the battle line and, over all that, the sounds of axes striking trees as Runesmith Redmane's warriors chopped at the trees - intent on making the Wood Elves come out to meet them. Kalik was excited - this was his first battle - and he intended to make his mark with his war machine.
Below in the clearing, Thane Danro Blackrock was readying his troops. He had Condor the Runesmith out on his right flank and his brother Alric carrying the Blackrock standard amongst the second unit of his warriors. These warriors were all green, but he knew Alric would keep them in order. His own unit had all seen combat before - most of them against the orc and goblin hordes who frequented their mountain pass. Their beards were long and they stood in ranks, muttering about the lack of discipline shown by their younger kin. Underneath his feet, Danro knew that Trenval Heavypick's miners were slowly picking their way through the caves that honeycombed this area of the woods. They were to emerge behind the Wood Elf lines when battle was joined and hit them from behind.
The wind slowly picked up, blowing away the last of the mist and revealing the sacred glade. Across the shallow valley, emerging from the trees, was the Wood Elf host. Danro saw dozens of shapes flitting between the trees, some of the deftly manoeuvring their horses as if the vegetation did not bother them in the slightest. Amongst them - Danro blinked in surprise - tree creatures walked along, forming into units as they faced his men. Raising his horn, Danro blew a long, sonorous challenge and the sound taken up as a cheer along the battleline by his men. Across the way, the elves watched almost soundlessly - their silent determination forming a cold knot in Danro's stomach. Blowing his horn again he sounded the advance.
Up on the hill, Kalik was cursing. He had misjudged his positioning and could see almost nothing of the battle below, his view blocked by mighty trees which seemed to splay outwards each time he tried to aim at the figures running through the trees. He decided there was nothing else for it and urged his helpers to drag the war machine as quickly as they could out to the right dwarven flank. Ruefully he shot a quick look back at the centre of the battleline, just in time to see a graceful enemy unit move like dancers into a wood on the far side of the field before there was a flash of silvery light and they were gone. Before Kalik could shout a warning to those below, there was a second flash and the unit reappeared right next to the Quarreller unit and pounced on them, blades whirling in a dance of death. Kalik could do nothing but hurry to join his crew who were busy recalibrating the machine as fast as he could. Surveying the scene ahead, Kalik could see why. As a Thunderer unit marched to the foot of the hill to take up a defensive position and Runesmith Redmane's warriors moved out to secure the flank a giant walking tree-beast crested the hill opposite and moved towards them. Kalik felt his stomach backflip with terror and quickly activated the runes of burning inscribed on the bolt thrower before taking careful aim at the approaching beast.
Alric Blackrock clutched the Blackrock standard and watched as his brother led his longbeard unit forward to threaten the Wood Elf line. Alric's orders were simple - hold back and tackle any Wood Elf units who managed to get past Danro's advance. His men held their position and waited, axes ready. Garrik, the leader of the warriors, tapped him on the shoulder and pointed silently to the hill out on their left flank. Five wood elves clad in long, green robes which made them almost vanish into the hillside were emerging and firing down at Danro and his longbeards. As Alric watched, the arrows plunged into the dwarven formation clattering off their armor and flashing out of existence as they encountered the protective power of the runic warding. Behind him, he heard the organ gun crew working to turn their machine to face the new threat but before he could turn to watch the device at work there was a bright silvery flash from the wood to his right and, with feral screams a small unit of elven warriors boiled out of the previously unoccupied woods. A gyrocopter thundered overhead, cannon belching a curtain of steam at the attackers and Alric saw one drop writing to the ground. Then the elves hit the flank of the Quarreller unit and the dwarves just ... dissolved. Dwarf bodies were chopped to pieces - hacked down in the savage elven dance - before the survivors fled screaming back in the direction of the camp, only to be chopped down as they ran. Alric quickly blew his horn and his warriors wheeled to face this new and very dangerous threat. Overhead the gyrocopter banked round for another pass at the dancers but a hail of arrows hammered at it before a tree limb reached from the wood and swatted it from the sky.
As the Quarrellers were being destroyed, Heinrich was cursing his organ gun. He had opened fire at the exposed elven scouts, confident they would be crushed under the sheer volume of fire the organ gun could produce. He had seen a pitiful two of the elves knocked from their feet by the gun's fire and then - to his utmost disgust - when the barrels had run dry he saw them getting up again! A whole volley of fire and nobody was killed! Swearing, he primed the weapon ready to shoot at them again when a pack of feral elves broke through the dwarf line to his right, cutting down a unit of Quarrellers as he went. Swiftly he wheeled his gun to face the new threat and opened fire again. Again only two of elves went down and again they got right back up again - although this time he saw he had drawn blood. The elves screamed in fury and charged at Heinrich and his crew. As he saw his death approaching, Heinrich's last thought was that at least he didn't have to explain the war machine's performance to Thane Danro...
Engineer Kalik carefully sighted along the bolt thrower at the onrushing treeman. His heart was pounding with fear, but he controlled his breathing as he took aim. Finally he released the bolt which flew straight and true and embedded itself into the beast. Kalik blinked in surprise - not only was the thing not worried by the impact, it didn't even seem to have noticed. There was a crashing below as it plunged through the woods and hit the Thunderer unit hard.
As his crew reloaded the bolt thrower, Kalik looked down to see Thunderers being thrown in all directions as the treeman tore into the unit. Further away, Runesmith Redmane and his unit was wheeling round to come at it from behind but it looked like it would be too late for the dwarves already engaged. Kalik looked up and saw a solitary elf standing on the opposite hill, obviously directing the troops below and decided he would be his next target. As he turned back to his war machine, he heard the shouts below turn to screams and an inhuman bellow of triumph and the ground began to shake with the sounds of approaching pounding footsteps. Kalik tried to force himself to focus on the shot at the distant elf but the onrushing treeman was too much of a distraction, especially coupled with the screaming of the remaining Thunderers as they were chased down and butchered. His shot went well over the head of the elf and as he looked up the treeman came into view, its long branch-hands reaching out to grab Tiki and twist his head off before crushing the others into the mud of the hillside. It reached out and grabbed Kalik, lifting him into the air. Kalik hacked at it desperately with his axe before he felt a searing pain in his waist and just had time to see his legs being ripped from his body before his eyes clouded over and he saw nothing more.
Thane Danro marched his longbeards into the teeth of the elven force, trusting in the runic power of his standard to protect them from the elven arrows. He carried with him his oath stone, upon which he had scribed his pledge to find the Hammer of Rotek and crush those who got in his way. The oath was made in the presence of his ancestors and he would fulfil it or die trying. He marched out of the arrow storm and saw ahead a small unit of elven cavalry skulking in the woods. He pointed his axe at them and bellowed a challenge, breaking into a run as he and his unit charged the horsemen. The elves for their part issued a smart about-face and vanished back into the trees. As his charge ground to a halt, Danro heard the chilling sounds of a hunting horn blowing through the trees and the rumbling of what seemed like a thousand horses galloping down on his flank. From the other side came the otherworldly hissing of the plant-beasts as a group of moving bushes emerged from the undergrowth and came for him. Swallowing down his fear, Danro planted his oath stone in the ground and stood atop it, shouting at his suddenly uncertain kin to hold firm. They formed up around him as the dryads crashed into their formation and from the other side, not a thousand but five riders charged headlong into the melee.
Danro bellowed a challenge at their leader and forced his way through the press of bodies until he was facing the grim-faced elf. The elf dodged and weaved and Danro was amazed to see his axe bouncing off his opponent's magically powered tattoos. Around him his longbeards held their ground and tried to use their sheer numbers to press the wood elves back but he saw some of his men fall, run through with wooden lances. Through it all, the horrific, maddening hissing of the dryads got under his skin and made him shiver to his boots. Glancing away from the fight, he felt his fear lift slightly as he saw Trenval and his miners pull themselves out from the caves and form their line and he turned back to face the wood elf champion with renewed vigour, battering him from his saddle and ending his life with a solid blow from his axe.
Trenval Heavypick emerged onto the battlefield and immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Ahead he could see the Thane Danro and the longbeards fighting for their lives, surrounded by strange, frightening bush-creatures and elven cavalry but between him and them was a unit of mounted archers, already baring down on him. As he his men
formed into ranks and his brother, Hrunhurer, took his place at his side Trenval saw another unit of elven archers wheeling around to confront him and the sky turned black with arrows. Around him, miners were falling as the arrows found their marks so with no cover available Trenval did the only thing he could - order the advance. The miners marched forwards, but as they did Trenval saw the longbeards succumb to their fear of the dryads and break, running for safety and carrying Thane Danro with them. They didn't make it - the elven cavalry crashed through their ranks, riding them down. The last he saw of them was Danro himself being speared on the end of three lances and almost ripped in half. With a heavy heart, Trenval redirected his advance towards the elven archers still shooting at his men and began the long trudge to get his vengeance.
Over on the right flank, Runesmith Redmane had watched in horror as the treeman had destroyed the Thunderers and then the bolt thrower but the creature had left the elven missile line exposed. Redmane decided to take the risk and marched his warriors into the teeth of the elven force. A way ahead he saw the doom of Danro and the longbeards and he saw the elven cavalry give chase even while the dryads melted back into the undergrowth. Redmane's rage grew as he saw a lone elf running ahead of his dwarven warriors. The elf was stooped and ran like an animal, and that triggered something at the back of his memory but he paid it no heed. The elves were killing dwarves everywhere on the field and so far all he had done was bog the elven mages down, preventing them casting too many of their spells. He wanted to HURT something. He shouted a challenge and his warriors broke into a run - charging down the lone elf, who skipped nimbly back towards his line giving them a feral smile. It was only as the ground cracked and the woods started throwing branches into his unit that Runesmith Redmane realised he had
been tricked. The elven magic wracked his unit and from his left the woods suddenly came alive as the dryads reappeared, falling on his men and ripping them to shreds. Outnumbered and with the horrific hissing of the moving plants gripping their hearts with fear, Redmane ordered his men to fall back but the retreat became a rout and they fled for the hills. As they ran, Redmane realised the would be caught and killed so together with his champion, turned back to face his pursuers and buy time. They crashed into him, lifting him bodily and flailing at him with their vine-like arms, tearing him apart.
Hrunhurer Heavypick followed his brother with trepidation. The storm of arrows was far thicker than they had expected and around him his kinsmen were dropping. The elven archers ahead were slowly drawing away from the miners, firing all the while and Hrunhurer was beginning to doubt any of the miners would reach the elves alive. Out of the corner of his eye he saw an elven mage emerge from the woods to his right, bow in hand. Even as he turned to shout a warning to his men he realised he and Trenval were the only ones left. The elven mage raised and fired her bow and the arrow flew through the air, striking Trenval in the head even as he turned at Hrunhurer's shout. His brother dead, Hrunhurer saw red.
He rounded on the mage and charged at her, pick in one hand, Heavypick standard in the other. He crashed into the surprised mage who fell back under the savagery of his assault. He beat at her with his pick, striking again and again as she desperately fended him off. Finally his blow landed true, catching her in the arm. She dropped her sword and, fear in her eyes, turned to flee. Hrunhurer wasn't finished. He ran after her, skewering her on the end of the Heavypick 
standard and driving her body into the ground. Panting, he stood over the body of his opponent as reason slowly returned and he looked round to see the edges of the woods lined with elven archers. Simultaneously they lifted their bows and fired.
Thane Alric had witnessed the death of his brother and was angry. He had pursued the wardancers but they were simply too fast for him to catch and now he was aware of the elven wild riders coming up behind him. The Blackrock throng had been decimated and it seemed the elves would not stop until every one of them was dead. In defiance he wheeled his warriors round and moved to confront the onrushing wild riders - his anger pushing any fear caused by their magical trumpets from his mind. The riders smashed into the front of his unit even as behind he heard the war dancers turn round and charge back at them but he didn't care. His men pushed back against the horsemen, halting their charge and forcing them slowly away. He heard the cries of the dying behind him then a strange, terrifying roar echoed across the battlefield. The swirling melee halted for a moment, giving him the chance to look back behind the war dancers. The elven mage, standing by the destroyed organ gun, was clutching her head, blood running from her eyes and nose. Around her the air crackled and bulged and it seemed like something was trying to break through from some unknown place. There was a terrible ripping sound as reality seemed to buckle and a great arm reached through, grasping for the mage. She staggered back, gibbering and collapsed and the rift snapped shut again. After a brief pause, the wardancer leader disengaged from combat and blew three short blasts on his horn. The wardancers and wild riders disengaged from Alric's warriors and vanished, collecting the downed mage on the way. The rest of the elven host withdrew from the dwarven line, taking up a defensive position at the centre of the glade.
Below in the clearing, Thane Danro Blackrock was readying his troops. He had Condor the Runesmith out on his right flank and his brother Alric carrying the Blackrock standard amongst the second unit of his warriors. These warriors were all green, but he knew Alric would keep them in order. His own unit had all seen combat before - most of them against the orc and goblin hordes who frequented their mountain pass. Their beards were long and they stood in ranks, muttering about the lack of discipline shown by their younger kin. Underneath his feet, Danro knew that Trenval Heavypick's miners were slowly picking their way through the caves that honeycombed this area of the woods. They were to emerge behind the Wood Elf lines when battle was joined and hit them from behind.
The wind slowly picked up, blowing away the last of the mist and revealing the sacred glade. Across the shallow valley, emerging from the trees, was the Wood Elf host. Danro saw dozens of shapes flitting between the trees, some of the deftly manoeuvring their horses as if the vegetation did not bother them in the slightest. Amongst them - Danro blinked in surprise - tree creatures walked along, forming into units as they faced his men. Raising his horn, Danro blew a long, sonorous challenge and the sound taken up as a cheer along the battleline by his men. Across the way, the elves watched almost soundlessly - their silent determination forming a cold knot in Danro's stomach. Blowing his horn again he sounded the advance.
Up on the hill, Kalik was cursing. He had misjudged his positioning and could see almost nothing of the battle below, his view blocked by mighty trees which seemed to splay outwards each time he tried to aim at the figures running through the trees. He decided there was nothing else for it and urged his helpers to drag the war machine as quickly as they could out to the right dwarven flank. Ruefully he shot a quick look back at the centre of the battleline, just in time to see a graceful enemy unit move like dancers into a wood on the far side of the field before there was a flash of silvery light and they were gone. Before Kalik could shout a warning to those below, there was a second flash and the unit reappeared right next to the Quarreller unit and pounced on them, blades whirling in a dance of death. Kalik could do nothing but hurry to join his crew who were busy recalibrating the machine as fast as he could. Surveying the scene ahead, Kalik could see why. As a Thunderer unit marched to the foot of the hill to take up a defensive position and Runesmith Redmane's warriors moved out to secure the flank a giant walking tree-beast crested the hill opposite and moved towards them. Kalik felt his stomach backflip with terror and quickly activated the runes of burning inscribed on the bolt thrower before taking careful aim at the approaching beast.Alric Blackrock clutched the Blackrock standard and watched as his brother led his longbeard unit forward to threaten the Wood Elf line. Alric's orders were simple - hold back and tackle any Wood Elf units who managed to get past Danro's advance. His men held their position and waited, axes ready. Garrik, the leader of the warriors, tapped him on the shoulder and pointed silently to the hill out on their left flank. Five wood elves clad in long, green robes which made them almost vanish into the hillside were emerging and firing down at Danro and his longbeards. As Alric watched, the arrows plunged into the dwarven formation clattering off their armor and flashing out of existence as they encountered the protective power of the runic warding. Behind him, he heard the organ gun crew working to turn their machine to face the new threat but before he could turn to watch the device at work there was a bright silvery flash from the wood to his right and, with feral screams a small unit of elven warriors boiled out of the previously unoccupied woods. A gyrocopter thundered overhead, cannon belching a curtain of steam at the attackers and Alric saw one drop writing to the ground. Then the elves hit the flank of the Quarreller unit and the dwarves just ... dissolved. Dwarf bodies were chopped to pieces - hacked down in the savage elven dance - before the survivors fled screaming back in the direction of the camp, only to be chopped down as they ran. Alric quickly blew his horn and his warriors wheeled to face this new and very dangerous threat. Overhead the gyrocopter banked round for another pass at the dancers but a hail of arrows hammered at it before a tree limb reached from the wood and swatted it from the sky.As the Quarrellers were being destroyed, Heinrich was cursing his organ gun. He had opened fire at the exposed elven scouts, confident they would be crushed under the sheer volume of fire the organ gun could produce. He had seen a pitiful two of the elves knocked from their feet by the gun's fire and then - to his utmost disgust - when the barrels had run dry he saw them getting up again! A whole volley of fire and nobody was killed! Swearing, he primed the weapon ready to shoot at them again when a pack of feral elves broke through the dwarf line to his right, cutting down a unit of Quarrellers as he went. Swiftly he wheeled his gun to face the new threat and opened fire again. Again only two of elves went down and again they got right back up again - although this time he saw he had drawn blood. The elves screamed in fury and charged at Heinrich and his crew. As he saw his death approaching, Heinrich's last thought was that at least he didn't have to explain the war machine's performance to Thane Danro...Engineer Kalik carefully sighted along the bolt thrower at the onrushing treeman. His heart was pounding with fear, but he controlled his breathing as he took aim. Finally he released the bolt which flew straight and true and embedded itself into the beast. Kalik blinked in surprise - not only was the thing not worried by the impact, it didn't even seem to have noticed. There was a crashing below as it plunged through the woods and hit the Thunderer unit hard.
As his crew reloaded the bolt thrower, Kalik looked down to see Thunderers being thrown in all directions as the treeman tore into the unit. Further away, Runesmith Redmane and his unit was wheeling round to come at it from behind but it looked like it would be too late for the dwarves already engaged. Kalik looked up and saw a solitary elf standing on the opposite hill, obviously directing the troops below and decided he would be his next target. As he turned back to his war machine, he heard the shouts below turn to screams and an inhuman bellow of triumph and the ground began to shake with the sounds of approaching pounding footsteps. Kalik tried to force himself to focus on the shot at the distant elf but the onrushing treeman was too much of a distraction, especially coupled with the screaming of the remaining Thunderers as they were chased down and butchered. His shot went well over the head of the elf and as he looked up the treeman came into view, its long branch-hands reaching out to grab Tiki and twist his head off before crushing the others into the mud of the hillside. It reached out and grabbed Kalik, lifting him into the air. Kalik hacked at it desperately with his axe before he felt a searing pain in his waist and just had time to see his legs being ripped from his body before his eyes clouded over and he saw nothing more.Thane Danro marched his longbeards into the teeth of the elven force, trusting in the runic power of his standard to protect them from the elven arrows. He carried with him his oath stone, upon which he had scribed his pledge to find the Hammer of Rotek and crush those who got in his way. The oath was made in the presence of his ancestors and he would fulfil it or die trying. He marched out of the arrow storm and saw ahead a small unit of elven cavalry skulking in the woods. He pointed his axe at them and bellowed a challenge, breaking into a run as he and his unit charged the horsemen. The elves for their part issued a smart about-face and vanished back into the trees. As his charge ground to a halt, Danro heard the chilling sounds of a hunting horn blowing through the trees and the rumbling of what seemed like a thousand horses galloping down on his flank. From the other side came the otherworldly hissing of the plant-beasts as a group of moving bushes emerged from the undergrowth and came for him. Swallowing down his fear, Danro planted his oath stone in the ground and stood atop it, shouting at his suddenly uncertain kin to hold firm. They formed up around him as the dryads crashed into their formation and from the other side, not a thousand but five riders charged headlong into the melee.
Danro bellowed a challenge at their leader and forced his way through the press of bodies until he was facing the grim-faced elf. The elf dodged and weaved and Danro was amazed to see his axe bouncing off his opponent's magically powered tattoos. Around him his longbeards held their ground and tried to use their sheer numbers to press the wood elves back but he saw some of his men fall, run through with wooden lances. Through it all, the horrific, maddening hissing of the dryads got under his skin and made him shiver to his boots. Glancing away from the fight, he felt his fear lift slightly as he saw Trenval and his miners pull themselves out from the caves and form their line and he turned back to face the wood elf champion with renewed vigour, battering him from his saddle and ending his life with a solid blow from his axe.Trenval Heavypick emerged onto the battlefield and immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Ahead he could see the Thane Danro and the longbeards fighting for their lives, surrounded by strange, frightening bush-creatures and elven cavalry but between him and them was a unit of mounted archers, already baring down on him. As he his men
formed into ranks and his brother, Hrunhurer, took his place at his side Trenval saw another unit of elven archers wheeling around to confront him and the sky turned black with arrows. Around him, miners were falling as the arrows found their marks so with no cover available Trenval did the only thing he could - order the advance. The miners marched forwards, but as they did Trenval saw the longbeards succumb to their fear of the dryads and break, running for safety and carrying Thane Danro with them. They didn't make it - the elven cavalry crashed through their ranks, riding them down. The last he saw of them was Danro himself being speared on the end of three lances and almost ripped in half. With a heavy heart, Trenval redirected his advance towards the elven archers still shooting at his men and began the long trudge to get his vengeance.Over on the right flank, Runesmith Redmane had watched in horror as the treeman had destroyed the Thunderers and then the bolt thrower but the creature had left the elven missile line exposed. Redmane decided to take the risk and marched his warriors into the teeth of the elven force. A way ahead he saw the doom of Danro and the longbeards and he saw the elven cavalry give chase even while the dryads melted back into the undergrowth. Redmane's rage grew as he saw a lone elf running ahead of his dwarven warriors. The elf was stooped and ran like an animal, and that triggered something at the back of his memory but he paid it no heed. The elves were killing dwarves everywhere on the field and so far all he had done was bog the elven mages down, preventing them casting too many of their spells. He wanted to HURT something. He shouted a challenge and his warriors broke into a run - charging down the lone elf, who skipped nimbly back towards his line giving them a feral smile. It was only as the ground cracked and the woods started throwing branches into his unit that Runesmith Redmane realised he had
been tricked. The elven magic wracked his unit and from his left the woods suddenly came alive as the dryads reappeared, falling on his men and ripping them to shreds. Outnumbered and with the horrific hissing of the moving plants gripping their hearts with fear, Redmane ordered his men to fall back but the retreat became a rout and they fled for the hills. As they ran, Redmane realised the would be caught and killed so together with his champion, turned back to face his pursuers and buy time. They crashed into him, lifting him bodily and flailing at him with their vine-like arms, tearing him apart.Hrunhurer Heavypick followed his brother with trepidation. The storm of arrows was far thicker than they had expected and around him his kinsmen were dropping. The elven archers ahead were slowly drawing away from the miners, firing all the while and Hrunhurer was beginning to doubt any of the miners would reach the elves alive. Out of the corner of his eye he saw an elven mage emerge from the woods to his right, bow in hand. Even as he turned to shout a warning to his men he realised he and Trenval were the only ones left. The elven mage raised and fired her bow and the arrow flew through the air, striking Trenval in the head even as he turned at Hrunhurer's shout. His brother dead, Hrunhurer saw red.
He rounded on the mage and charged at her, pick in one hand, Heavypick standard in the other. He crashed into the surprised mage who fell back under the savagery of his assault. He beat at her with his pick, striking again and again as she desperately fended him off. Finally his blow landed true, catching her in the arm. She dropped her sword and, fear in her eyes, turned to flee. Hrunhurer wasn't finished. He ran after her, skewering her on the end of the Heavypick standard and driving her body into the ground. Panting, he stood over the body of his opponent as reason slowly returned and he looked round to see the edges of the woods lined with elven archers. Simultaneously they lifted their bows and fired.Thane Alric had witnessed the death of his brother and was angry. He had pursued the wardancers but they were simply too fast for him to catch and now he was aware of the elven wild riders coming up behind him. The Blackrock throng had been decimated and it seemed the elves would not stop until every one of them was dead. In defiance he wheeled his warriors round and moved to confront the onrushing wild riders - his anger pushing any fear caused by their magical trumpets from his mind. The riders smashed into the front of his unit even as behind he heard the war dancers turn round and charge back at them but he didn't care. His men pushed back against the horsemen, halting their charge and forcing them slowly away. He heard the cries of the dying behind him then a strange, terrifying roar echoed across the battlefield. The swirling melee halted for a moment, giving him the chance to look back behind the war dancers. The elven mage, standing by the destroyed organ gun, was clutching her head, blood running from her eyes and nose. Around her the air crackled and bulged and it seemed like something was trying to break through from some unknown place. There was a terrible ripping sound as reality seemed to buckle and a great arm reached through, grasping for the mage. She staggered back, gibbering and collapsed and the rift snapped shut again. After a brief pause, the wardancer leader disengaged from combat and blew three short blasts on his horn. The wardancers and wild riders disengaged from Alric's warriors and vanished, collecting the downed mage on the way. The rest of the elven host withdrew from the dwarven line, taking up a defensive position at the centre of the glade.
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Battle 1: Army Roster vs Wood Elves
Heros
Thane Danro Blackrock
+ oath stone
+ shield
+ Rune of Stone
+ Rune of Preservation
+ Rune of Resistance
+ Rune of Fire
Thane Alric Blackrock
+ Battle Standard
+ Rune of Preservation
+ Rune of Stone
Runesmith Condor Redmane
+ shield
+ Rune of Balance
+ Rune of Spellbreaking
Core
25 Longbeards
+ shields
+ musician
+ standard bearer
+ Rune of Grungni
+ champion
20 Warriors
+ shields
+ musician
+ standard bearer
+ Garrik (champion)
20 Warriors
+ shields
+ musician
+ standard bearer
+ champion
10 Thunderers
10 Quarrellers
+ musician
+ Standard bearer
+ Champion
Special
15 Miners
+ musician
+ Hrunhurer Heavypick (Standard bearer)
+ Trenval Heavypick (Champion)
+ blast charges
Bolt Thrower
+ Kalik (engineer)
+ Rune of Fire
Rare
Organ Gun (crew led by Heinrich)
Gyrocopter
Total = 1999pts
Thane Danro Blackrock
+ oath stone
+ shield
+ Rune of Stone
+ Rune of Preservation
+ Rune of Resistance
+ Rune of Fire
Thane Alric Blackrock
+ Battle Standard
+ Rune of Preservation
+ Rune of Stone
Runesmith Condor Redmane
+ shield
+ Rune of Balance
+ Rune of Spellbreaking
Core
25 Longbeards
+ shields
+ musician
+ standard bearer
+ Rune of Grungni
+ champion
20 Warriors
+ shields
+ musician
+ standard bearer
+ Garrik (champion)
20 Warriors
+ shields
+ musician
+ standard bearer
+ champion
10 Thunderers
10 Quarrellers
+ musician
+ Standard bearer
+ Champion
Special
15 Miners
+ musician
+ Hrunhurer Heavypick (Standard bearer)
+ Trenval Heavypick (Champion)
+ blast charges
Bolt Thrower
+ Kalik (engineer)
+ Rune of Fire
Rare
Organ Gun (crew led by Heinrich)
Gyrocopter
Total = 1999pts
Battle 1: Into the Forest
Thane Danro Blackrock called a halt - his people had been marching all day and even a dwarf needed a break once in a while. The sun had been beating down on their heads, the sky cloudless. It was hot - far too hot. Danro removed his helm and wiped the sweat from his eyes as he squinted round the clearing as his troops set to preparing a camp. It was three months since High King Stonebeard had declared they would head out to meet their enemies. Much of that time had been spent celebrating and toasting the forthcoming destruction of their enemies and the mere memories of his hangover still made his head ache.
The Blackrock family were a relatively young family in the Hold. They had gained their wealth only recently when one of their prospectors had stumbled across a rich seam of adamantine. Their subsequent elevation to the ruling council in Karak Al Kaika, some hundred years ago now, was inevitable after such an incredible find but when comparing themselves to the other ruling families, established a few hundred years a piece, they still felt they had much to prove. When the given the option to lead the first advanced force in King Stonebeard's Grudge War, Lord Harak Blackrock seized the opportunity and sent forth two of his sons, Danro and Alric. Danro, the senior, was given command with Alric his second and standard bearer. They were sent out to scout the land and search for the Hammer of Rotek, lost by Thane Tarric Redmane during a patrol through the edge of the Deep Forest. The patrol had been ambushed by forces unknown and wiped out. The loss of the Hammer was a footnote in the Book of Grudges, but it was a stain on Clan Redmane who had sent along Condor Redmane, one of the senior Runesmith apprentices. If they could find the Hammer he would be able to check its authenticity.
Danro, Alric and Condor sat down for dinner as their troops cut down a few trees to make a fire. Suddenly, a shout was heard from the sentries followed by the unmistakable sound of bowstrings twanging. There were grunts of pain and the crashing of dwarven warriors running through the wood before an ominous silence. Danro and Condor looked at each other and hurried for the sounds of the disturbance. They found the first of the sentries lying in a heap at his post. The other three were a few hundred paces out, clearly shot down as they ran after something. All were stuck through with long, thin arrows. Condor pulled one out. "Hmmm" he looked at the whittled wooden tip. "Elven. And there is only one type of Elf living in these parts."
"Bring in the remaining sentries" instructed Danro. "These Elven bastards will skulk in the trees and pick them off. If they aren't going to let us pass through we will have to lure them out."
Alric was checking the map. "There is an ancient grove nearby. They will certainly come out in force to protect that."
"Good idea. We will make for there in the morning. Have Trenval's miners hit the caves - I want them ready to give out hosts a nice surprise when they come out to play."
The three leaders made their way back to the camp fire, unaware that hidden eyes were watching them. Suddenly the verdant forest was hostile territory. It was an uneasy night's sleep for the dwarven force.
The Blackrock family were a relatively young family in the Hold. They had gained their wealth only recently when one of their prospectors had stumbled across a rich seam of adamantine. Their subsequent elevation to the ruling council in Karak Al Kaika, some hundred years ago now, was inevitable after such an incredible find but when comparing themselves to the other ruling families, established a few hundred years a piece, they still felt they had much to prove. When the given the option to lead the first advanced force in King Stonebeard's Grudge War, Lord Harak Blackrock seized the opportunity and sent forth two of his sons, Danro and Alric. Danro, the senior, was given command with Alric his second and standard bearer. They were sent out to scout the land and search for the Hammer of Rotek, lost by Thane Tarric Redmane during a patrol through the edge of the Deep Forest. The patrol had been ambushed by forces unknown and wiped out. The loss of the Hammer was a footnote in the Book of Grudges, but it was a stain on Clan Redmane who had sent along Condor Redmane, one of the senior Runesmith apprentices. If they could find the Hammer he would be able to check its authenticity.
Danro, Alric and Condor sat down for dinner as their troops cut down a few trees to make a fire. Suddenly, a shout was heard from the sentries followed by the unmistakable sound of bowstrings twanging. There were grunts of pain and the crashing of dwarven warriors running through the wood before an ominous silence. Danro and Condor looked at each other and hurried for the sounds of the disturbance. They found the first of the sentries lying in a heap at his post. The other three were a few hundred paces out, clearly shot down as they ran after something. All were stuck through with long, thin arrows. Condor pulled one out. "Hmmm" he looked at the whittled wooden tip. "Elven. And there is only one type of Elf living in these parts."
"Bring in the remaining sentries" instructed Danro. "These Elven bastards will skulk in the trees and pick them off. If they aren't going to let us pass through we will have to lure them out."
Alric was checking the map. "There is an ancient grove nearby. They will certainly come out in force to protect that."
"Good idea. We will make for there in the morning. Have Trenval's miners hit the caves - I want them ready to give out hosts a nice surprise when they come out to play."
The three leaders made their way back to the camp fire, unaware that hidden eyes were watching them. Suddenly the verdant forest was hostile territory. It was an uneasy night's sleep for the dwarven force.
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